President Dismisses Premier, Cabinet

President Robert Kocharyan fired Armenia’s prime minister and his government and tightened police security around government buildings. In a statement read on national TV, Kocharyan said he dismissed Prime Minister Aram Sarkisyan--whose brother and predecessor died in a parliament shootout--for allowing the former Soviet republic’s economy to deteriorate and ignoring discord in the military. Apparently fearing unrest, Kocharyan stepped up the police presence around government buildings and the headquarters of the Unity alliance, which has a majority in parliament and has shown increasing dissatisfaction with the president.